Organic Beauty Week: Organic Everyday Makeup

The Best Natural and Cruelty Free Makeup That I've Tried So Far

Makeup Favourites from 2014

It was quite hard to narrow down my makeup favourites of the year because I discovered some incredible new products, especially over the last three months. I've basically just included the things that I reached for the most as well as a couple of newer products that I just really, really love.

For my Eyes

There's only been one eyeshadow palette that I've been reaching for throughout the year, and that's The Balm's Nude'tude Palette. My favourite shades are definitely 'Stand-offish' and 'Selfish', but all the shades are really wearable in a gorgeous buttery formula. My other eyeshadow favourite is Maybelline's Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze which I've used so much that I've nearly finished it! Honourable Mention: Wild About Beauty's Eyeshadow in Eva 

For my Face

My most used foundation has definitely been Revlon's Colorstay Foundation for Combination/Oily Skin in the shade Buff. I've just finished my bottle and have repurchased it in a slightly darker shade so that I can wear it next summer. My favourite concealer of the year has definitely been Seventeen's Stay Time Concealer, it's so light and blendable and gives a really natural looking finish. Honourable Mention: Real Techniques' Makeup Sponge

For my Cheeks

In terms of blush, the only powder blush that I've been wearing pretty much all year is Green People's Powder Blush in Peach*. However, the competition for my favourite cream blush has been fierce, but I think that I've definitely reached for Stila's Convertible Colour Trio in Cool the most out of the blushes in my collection. But my favourite new discoveries of the year by far have been from RMS Beauty - I have completely fallen in love with their Living Luminizer and Buriti Bronzer, I've been wearing them everyday since I discovered them. Honourable Mention: Benefit's Highbeam

For my Lips

I've discovered some incredible new lipsticks this year and I've picked a couple of my favourite formulas and shades. Hands down my favourite formula is Glo & Ray's La Amo Creamy Matte Lip Colour*, it's lightweight but offers opaque colour and it lasts really well. I've also been loving Ilia's Lip Conditioner in the shade These Days*, a really beautiful frosted bronze in a creamy and moisturising formula. Colour wise, two other favourites of mine are from Oriflame and Wild About Beauty. Oriflame's The One 5 in 1 Colour Stylist Lipstick in Fuchsia Hype* is an absolutely stunning, bright pink. Whereas Wild About Beauty's Nurtrilips Balm in Hannah* is a gorgeous, easy-to-wear, sheer berry that seems to work with everything. Honourable Mention: Living Nature's Lipstick in Summer Rain*

What have been some of your makeup favourites this year?

A Lipstick Overview

Over the two months or so, across my Blog, Twitter and Instagram accounts, I've featured a fair few lipsticks, but there have been seven main culprits. I thought that today I'd do a round-up of all these lipsticks as I thought that this would be a good way for me to help put them all into a larger context, helping you to identify which one(s) might be right for you.

left to right: Living Nature's Lipstick in Summer Rain*, Ilia's Lip Conditioner in These Days, Honeybee Gardens Lipstick in Superstitious*, Glo & Ray's Lipstick in Fallin'*, Yves Rocher's Moisturising Cream Lipstick in Rose Alba* and Rimmel's Moisture Renew Lipstick in Oxford Street Fuchsia*.

Best Natural Lipstick Formula & My Favourite Winter "Berry" Lipstick

The two lipsticks in these categories are Ilia's Lip Conditioner in These Days* and Living Nature's Lipstick in Summer Rain*. I definitely think that Ilia's Lip Conditioner has the best formula of any natural lipstick that I've tried so far - it's similar to Living Nature's in that they're both creamy and moisturising, but Ilia's Lip Conditioner lasts better on my lips and feels more comfortable to wear. However, I do absolutely love the colour of Summer Rain, it's just gorgeous and I'd definitely recommend it.

My Least Favourite New Discovery 

Sadly, I really didn't like for formula of my new Honeybee Gardens Lipstick in Superstitious*. It was patchy and difficult to wear, with the colour applying unevenly and fading irregularly. The colour was really gorgeous though and inspired me to look for something similar in a better formula! I think I've found something which I'll be sharing soon.

The Best Lipstick Formula of the Bunch

If you're looking for something easy to wear, something that feels lightweight on your lips but gives opaque colour that lasts well, then you need to take a look at Glo & Ray's Lipsticks*. I was very kindly sent the shade Fallin' and although it isn't my perfect colour, I do really like the formula. It isn't as long-lasting as matte lip products, but out of all my new finds it's the easiest and most comfortable lipstick to throw on as I can really trust it to wear well and stay looking good throughout the day.

Out of My Comfort Zone - but worth considering!

This month I tried too very "different" lipsticks - Wild About Beauty's Lipstick in Cherrie* and Rimmel's Moisture Renew Lipstick in Oxford Street Fuchsia*. Cherrie is and incredibly glossy, high impact, bold, bright, show-stopping red - a gorgeous find for red lipstick lovers and a perfect party makeup piece. It is, however, a formula that would work best for more natural shades and although I love the colour it definitely isn't for the faint hearted! Oxford Street Fuchsia is similarly out of my comfort zone as it's a very blue-toned pink, almost Barbie-pink, which I don't think suits me. However, I  do like the creamy formula and I'd definitely purchase other shades in the line. But, overall, I would repurchase Wild About Beauty's lipstick formula over Rimmel's.

Pretty but not Perfect

I've really enjoyed wearing Yves Rocher's Moisturising Cream Lipstick in Rose Alba*, it's a very easy to wear pink in a sheer-to-medium coverage formula, giving either a wash of colour of a full-on lip depending on how much you apply. It isn't super creamy and I don't think it should really be called a "moisturising" lipstick, but it isn't drying either. However, if you are specifically looking for something hydrating then I'd recommend Living Nature and Ilia's lipsticks which are actually very nourishing on the lips!

What lipstick(s) have you been wearing this month?

November Beauty Favourites

Natural Beauty Wishlist #1

Ever considered opting for more natural makeup alternatives but never known where to start? This post is all about sharing some of my natural beauty finds with you, showing you where you can buy them and where you can find swatches so you can make informed decisions about whether or not you'd like to try them yourself.

Living Nature Lipstick in Summer Rain 

(available online at MyPure)

My first natural beauty pick is a gorgeous raspberry lipstick from the brand Living Nature. Their products are made in New Zealand in small batches by an experienced team of experts, and this lipstick is 100% all natural and isn't tested on animals. My Pure have four shades of Living Nature's lipsticks on their website but Summer Rain stood out to me as my ideal everyday lipstick shade. If you're interested in learning more about the brand then you can find their website here and for swatches and more info head on over to Shannon's blogpost.

AnneMarie Borlind Lipstick in Rosewood

 (available online at Naturisimo)

Rosewood is a matte dark pink shade, and coming in at less than a Mac lipstick I think this is a great natural beauty pick. Borlind products are made in Germany, are suitable for vegetarians and are cruelty free. The reviews of these lipsticks on Naturisimo are positively glowing and along with Rosewood they also have a gorgeous crimson shade called Celebrity Red. If you want to find out more about the brand then you can find their website online here and to see what Rosewood looks like take a peek at Emma's Quick Make Up Look on Youtube.

Lavera Lips and Cheeks in Sunny Cherry 

(available online at Naturisimo)

Made in Germany, this product is 100% natural, free from parabens and fragrance and is completely cruelty free. Lavera is a slightly more affordable natural beauty brand and the dual nature of this product, I think, makes it even more appealing. There are three shades to choose between, I chose Sunny Cherry because I think it would best replicate a natural flush making it very easy to wear on an everyday basis. I haven't tried any of Lavera's products yet but I've heard so many good things that this may be the product I try first out of my wish list. If you're interested in finding out more about the brand then you can find their website here and to see what Sunny Cherry looks like then check out GreenMakeup's review here.

Ilia Multitask Stick in All of Me 

(available online at Naturisimo)

I recently discovered Ilia through one of my favourite blogs, We Were Raised By Wolves. Evelyn reviewed a gorgeous lipstick and I was inspired to look up Ilia's beauty line. Lo and behold, I found a whole treasure trove of gorgeous products. Not only does this Multitask Stick come in an array of gorgeous colours but it is also made up of between 68-72% organic ingredients. It is made in the USA, is cruelty and paraben free and has very positive reviews on Naturisimo's website. I love the look of the shade All of Me which is described as a warm watermelon colour. For swatches see Cori's blog.

Ilia Illuminator Stick in Polka Dots & Moonbeams

 (available online at Naturisimo)

Another Ilia product, another gorgeous chubby stick applicator but this time housing a shimmering highlighter. Polka Dots & Moonbeams is described as a pearlescent cream shade and it looks right up my alley. It isn't a cheap product but with high quality organic ingredients and the appeal of a product that I would reach for everyday I'm sold. Interested in learning more about the brand? Check out their website online here and for swatches see Cori's blog.

RMS Beauty Burity Bronzer 

(available online at Love Lula)

This bronzer is 100% natural, vegetarian (but not vegan because it contains beeswax) and is cruelty free. The colour of this bronzer looks pretty perfect for anyone with pale skin who is looking for a bronzed glow without any orange hue. I've heard so many good things about RMS' products and I think I would definitely like to start exploring their collection with this bronzing product. I love cream cheek products because they're so easy to apply and the sheer consistency of this bronzer will make it foolproof to apply and give it a very natural finished look. If you want to find out more about RMS then check out their website and for swatches take a look at If Make Up Could Talk's blog.

I'd love to hear your feedback on this post and if you have any natural beauty favourites I would really love it if you could share them with me in the comments!